Minato Kuramoto
(Shinigami, Mazoku) | birthday = January 23 | age = 17 (Part V, Chapter I) 19 (Part V, Chapter II) | gender = Male | height = 5'11" | weight = 151 lbs | eyes = Light Pink | hair = Black | blood type = AB- | affiliation = Seireitou Kawahiru Raian Getsueikirite | previous affiliation = | occupation = Spirit Detective | previous occupation = High School Student | team = Team Kuramoto | previous team = None | partner = Hinata Kusuhana Rūka Ishida Hakkōda Kanō Kōya Orihara Itachi Shimura | previous partner = None | base of operations = | marital status = Single | relatives = Hōsen Kuramoto (father) (mother, deceased) Takara Kuramoto (older sister) | education = Kawahiru Dojang | status = Active | shikai = Son Gokū | bankai = Not Yet Achieved }} :"Never surrender, face down the nearing battle, with strength in your soul." - Seireitou-shishō Minato Kuramoto (港倉本, Kuramoto Minato) is a male Human born of Shinigami lineage, the descendant of a powerful Mazoku known as Sun Wukong. He is the son of Hōsen Kuramoto and , as well as the younger brother of Takara Kuramoto. Originally, he was one of the nine Jinki Fragments, but these powers were stolen by Mūkade; an event which later resulted in the release of his true power. He studies at the Kawahiru Dojang under Seireitou Kawahiru and Saori Sumeragi, residing there along with Hinata Kusuhana. Prior to this, he was a third-year student at .Bleach story; Springtime of Silver Minato is the current Spirit Detective, in service to the Soul Society, and the leader of Team Kuramoto. He has also been revealed to be one of the Hyakuhachi Yoruhoshi. Appearance Unlike many of those in Karakura High School, Minato wears rather loose-fitting clothing. He is accustomed to wearing blue V-collar T-shirts with blue pants, having a body mesh under the T-shirt, and a white sash around his waist on the outside of the shirt much like a tunic. Despite being seen as "harmless", often the result of his plain appearance,Bleach story; Springtime of Silver the intensity of his eyes can sometimes be interpreted as intimidating, to the point where no student at the high school seems to ever mess with him. Though his personality tends to contrast this severely. Minato's black hair hangs near his cheeks to frame his face, keeping it in a long ponytail. Following the nineteen-month timeskip, Minato wears a new martial arts uniform that is given to him as a gift by Seireitou and Saori, the latter of whom designed it. It is mismatched, as it includes a sleeveless variation of the Taekwondo dobak, the pants worn in Chinese kenpō, and the arm and leg bandages worn in Muay Thai. After two years, Minato takes to wearing an opened white jacket reminiscent to the uniform worn by chinese martial artists, called a qípáo, with slightly loose yet form-fitting sleeves. He took to also wearing pants worn by Taekwondoka, along with a long black belt that hung from his left hip side, presumably a genpuku gift after his mentor's departure, signifying his skill level in Taekwondo. His hair has also lengthened slightly, reaching his shoulders and the style of his bangs seems to resemble that of Seireitou's. Minato from behind.png|Minato's uniform from behind in the manga. Personality Minato is shown to be a young man with a quiet way about him, usually not the one who'll speak up first in front of others. However, he seems have his thoughts always active, about anything and everything around him, but usually keeps to himself.Bleach story; Springtime of Silver In the beginning of the Jinki Fragments arc, he would be depicted as a normal teenager, sans the rebellious personality. This could possibly stem from his father's death when he was only three, and also that his mother would rarely take a role in his life, besides in regards to his studies. In addition, being ignored and disregarded by those in his childhood, and even into his teenage years, Minato developed a craving for acknowledgement. Minato stated that his Taekwondo training made him gain more confidence, implying that he was an even more meek individual prior to this. Despite his mother's lack of support, Minato would find solace in his martial arts master, the latter supporting Minato's goals to become a great Taekwondo master one day. However, once Minato's training as a Jinki Fragment began, Seireitou would not praise Minato as he once did, being rather brutal and cruel. Besides Saori, and at times, Raian, Minato's teachers follow this same approach when it comes to Minato's training. As a result from this, Minato is frequently shown to be very susceptible to negative comments abouts his strength, easily falling into a comical depression. Despite having a strong level of skill in the martial arts, Minato still doubted himself, feeling that he could not last on his own in a real fight. However, as his training under Seireitou, Raian, and Saori progressed, these feelings of doubt would soon pass away. It was not only this, but Minato himself would have changed. This would also be influenced by his growing friendship with Hinata Kusuhana. Perhaps an equally notable trait is that Minato can be shown to be quite serious, but also presents himself with a somewhat "comic and naive" persona, leading opponents to gravely underestimate his abilities. Though, this doesn't seem to be on purpose, since it is a key aspect of his personality. Minato has shown himself to be a very kind, selfless, and helpful young man and always puts others before himself. Even when it comes to his enemies, he shows them respect and never speaks ill of them, even caring for their well-being. Several people are moved by his kindness and selfless nature, to the point they even change sides and befriend him. Both Seireitou and Raian have referred to Minato's amazing charisma as a "unique power" that allows him to change the worldly views of others. Minato's unstoppable determination and drive strongly impacts the lives around him, even his enemies had been affected by his empathy. It has been stated by Minato to his teachers that he seeks "enough power to protect those that he loves". However, Raian would tell Minato that saying that is the same as "I want the power to kill those who are my enemies", causing Minato to retort that he only wishes to fight until his opponents are unable to harm his loved ones. On occasions, he allows his aggression to take center-stage whenever someone insults his teachers or harms Hinata. History Synopsis Part V * Jinki Fragments Chapter, Restart! * Quickening of a New Power! Put to the Test! * Darkness Approaches Equipment *'Reiryoku Seals:' Generated by a Kidō created by Seireitou Kawahiru, Minato had been sealed with these cuffs by his master prior to his fight with Nǚwā. Because Minato is a human, he utilizes his atom-composed muscles for movement and physical activity. These cuffs make such movement impossible, weighing down Minato to the point that the latter fell flat to the ground, unable to even bring his arms or legs up a single inch. Minato must actively cycle his spiritual energy throughout his body in order to do the simplest of movements, thus his reiatsu levels must be kept at their highest possible peak at all times just for Minato to move, let alone fight whilst sealed. Though not as strong as the cuffs worn by his master, Minato's inner spiritual energy is sealed down to one-fifth of his true capabilities. According to Seireitou, Minato may release these cuffs whenever he desires, by using the password that unlocks the seal, but only to do so when the most critical moment has approached. Powers & Abilities released in anger.]] Vast Spiritual Power: According to his mother, Takara Kuramoto, and later re-stated by his mentor, Seireitou Kawahiru, Minato is presumed to have within him a seemingly limitless dormant power, which at first only revealed itself when he experienced fierce rage. Because of his gentle nature and rare bursts of rage, his spiritual energy often fluctuates and therefore makes it difficult to determine his actual level of power. Seireitou has stated that Minato possesses infinite potential inside him and that his foundation is solid enough that he could become "the highest building ever." Minato's spiritual power is originally strong enough to put up resistance against Seireitou's spiritual pressure, albeit it was purposely weakened. Even in the presence off the Hōgyoku-enhanced Sao Jiang, he was able to "maintain his existence" (albeit he was still brought to his knees and paralyzed in fear). Upon meeting him, Kamui noted that Minato held immense potential within him. The color of his spiritual energy is normally a midnight blue, and takes the form of a massive bird when being unleashed; the bird being a symbol of free, that which he represents as a Jinki Fragment. Possessing lineage of Shinigami, and being one of the nine Jinki Fragments, Minato holds within him a deep and vast supply of spiritual energy. Due to this and that he has far more spiritual energy than his body can consciously contain, it leaks out constantly, preventing him from hiding it and effectively making stealth impossible when dealing with other spiritually-aware beings. He has recently learned how to harden his spiritual energy and enhance the strength of his attacks or act as a barrier to reduce the impact of attacks on him, if not negating them completely. However, despite this, it seems that his body retains an immense amount of spiritual energy within, that is only released in times of incredible rage and anger. .]] *' :' *'Reihikari' (魂の光, literally "Light of the Soul"): Minato learned this technique during his training with Seireitou, the latter of whom had invented the technique. By cupping his hands down at his waist, in which the hands are at least very close or touching one another, the latent reiatsu is converted from spiritual pressure into a mass of pure energy, typically taking the form of a uniform sphere. The hands are then thrust forward to shoot out a streaming, powerful beam of energy. Because he is still learning about spiritual energy, Minato's Reihikari pales in comparason to that of his mentor's, but still boasts incredible force. However, it can also be used through another means. The sword he wields can absorb Minato's spiritual energy and subsequently releases highly condensed light-purple spiritual energy at the tip of the blade, magnifying the slash attack and then flies forward. This slash takes the form of a crescent moon or in the shape of a wave.Bleach story; Quickening of a New Power! Put to the Test! This is a powerful technique with great force, capable of causing large-scale damage and destruction. Similar to the force of his sword's cutting power, the strength of this attack relies solely on Minato's will to win. Ideally, his Reihikari at full power is initially as powerful as Raian Getsueikirite's own blast in Shikai. The Reihikari can be further enhanced through absorbing foreign sources of reiryoku and reiatsu through his Wanashō Jinki Fragment technique. By infusing the collected energy with his own to form a Reihikari, Minato creates a new technique out of the two that easily surpasses the force of a normal attack. The burst of energy emitted from this fused technique is immense, easily engulfing the entire sky with Minato's spiritual energy in its first use after absorbing a level eighties Hadō with incantation with Wanashō. Strength-wise, it was capable of completely shattering Keisuke Mimoto's barrier effortlessly as well as killing the latter with a single use of the attack, when the combined energy attacks of both Minato's normal Reihikari and Satoshi Konishi's master-level Sōkatsui blast could not even scratch the same barrier.Bleach story; Darkness Approaches Using his Seijin abilities, he has ingeniously crafted variously different applications of the original technique. Expert Swordsmanship Specialist: In terms of fighting style while using his Jinki Fragment powers, Minato relies mainly on swordplay, and thus would be considered a swordsmanship specialist. Aside from his initial training with Seireitou, he is basically on a "learn as you go" training regimen. Subsequently, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. His overall skill has been shown capable of competing on equal grounds against the sword masters of Raian Getsueikirite (albeit Raian was holding back) and Kintarō Hijikata's caliber. Great Agility: Minato is capable of grand acts of speed, although he often downplays his abilities in order to gain an advantage. He can effortlessly dodge a barrage of punches from someone near his black belt level, and counterattack before the latter can even react. During his training sessions with Saori, Minato's leg strength and dexterity was increased immensely, granting him a much higher level of agility and balance. His newfound agility has been commented by Seireitou, to the point of forcing him to put a bit more effort in their sparring sessions. Minato has also developed acrobatic abilities almost at Hinata's level, able to easily scale and glide down a skyscraper with complete control and no wasted movement. Māipō Expert: While it was originally unknown if Minato is using some form of Hohō technique, his speed is high enough to disappear without a trace, like that of Flash Step practitioners, and was even able to sneak up behind Satoshi Konishi during their fight, a respective master of Shunpō in his own right.Bleach story; Quickening of a New Power! Put to the Test! Ryōmaru later noted that Minato was using the Māipō technique, a speed-enhancement ability developed through years of martial arts training. Enhanced Strength: Initially, Minato was seemingly scrawny, and subsequently, his strength was below-average. However, after the "hellish training", as quoted by Minato, was placed on him by Seireitou, his overall abilities greatly increased. Having undergone the unique physical conditioning regimen of Seireitou's, Minato's musculature has been rebuilt, now possessing a lean but well-defined physique. His leg strength has grown great enough to withstand tremendous amount of impact, even allowing him to kick at near full speed underwater. Innate Abilities Martial Arts Expert General Hand-to-Hand Prowess: Having become accustomed to a straightforward form of martial art combat, Minato originally focused on attack; his movements followed the intention to take out his enemy as quickly as possible, regardless of how violent the methods needed might be. However, this contradicted his innate nature to not cause harm to people around him. Because of this internal conflict, not only would Minato's movements end up being hindered by doubt and insecurity, but also required him to lose concentration in order to fight effectively. According to , following this martial art path would have led him to become nothing but a mindless monster in the end; known by many as the "path of asura". Therefore, the basis of Minato's initial training was focused on trying to reach a middle ground where he could fight effectively while not going against his pacifist nature. While this was rather difficult, given that Minato's abilities lay in his prior knowledge of Taekwondo, which centered around aggressive assault, Seireitou found it possible to implement certain Aikido and Jujutsu teachings and styles into Minato's fighting style. The result was a method of combat geared toward "receiving" and "responding" rather than taking the initiative. Rather than charging his enemies without thinking, he would instead focus on the situation rather than his foe. In doing so, his movements would reflect the circumstances rather than the actions of his enemy. He would be trained to view every situation and occurrence as an isolated event and respond appropriately based on what he felt to be right. Of course, this rigidness was merely the foundation. After learning to isolate those circumstances, Minato would train himself to chain together those occurrences and be able to fluidly respond to a continuous series of situations rather than taking them in one at a time. This led to Minato developing an affinity toward a unique form of soft style that was still aggressive in nature but focused on responding to situations. His movements began to show immense fluidity in their form, no longer having rigid steps and strike motions as he demonstrated prior to training, allowing him to chain together strike combinations quickly enough to take down multiple opponents before they were able to counterattack. Martial Arts Knowledge: *'Taekwondo:' Based on his former position as an assistant instructor at a small school in the , Minato has incredible skill in Taekwondo. He carries the rank of 3rd-degree Black belt, and was capable of amazing feats of physical activity before having acquired powers. Because of his flexibility, Minato's attacks will often follow up with a high-section kick, and he preforms full-splits toward the ground when ducking. It was after Minato realized his power as a Jinki Fragment that Seireitou began to teach Minato principles from other martial arts, essentially turning him from a Sotosentō-type Hakuda user to a Nakanisentō-type, despite Minato's tendency to resort to the former type of hand-to-hand during moments of anger and rage. Utilizing kicks and punches, as well as locks and sweeps, Minato had trained himself during the two year timeskip to become a lethal weapon in battle. Even in battle against Hollows, these skills proved to assist greatly. Standard Hakuda: *' ' (鉄掌, "Iron Palm") :*'Sōtesshō' (双鉄掌, "Twin Iron Palm") *' ' (風車, "Windmill"): Allowing his body to rise upwards, after launching himself off, Minato relaxes his body and releases the hold on his joints, allowing his body to move freely as the wind itself; hence the name of the technique. With a swift sheering motion of the legs, he launches one of his legs downward to build up momentum in the same instant that he whips forth his leg out in order to deal a devastating strike to his opponent. His body moves in such a way that should his kick miss, he is able to use the momentum from earlier to continue an assault until his strike makes contact. The only major weakness of this technique is that the user has to focus all their power into their legs, forcing them to lower their arms and enter a guard-less stance. An enemy could easily land a devastating attack towards their upper body, such as when Ryōmaru Sagara broke one of Minato's arms. This is, however, useful since they can lure their opponent closer and use the attack at point-blank range. (松陰不知火流, Shōin Shiranui-ryū; literally "Pine Trees in Darkness Guiding Light Style") *' ' (金剛拳, Kongōken) *' ' (金剛体, Kongōtai) Mokugeki Garyū (目撃我流, "Witnessed Self-Taught Style"; literally "self-taught from observation") Reiatsu Control Having slowly been taught to perfect his control over and , the result was Minato having taken it upon himself to creating new techniques that would help him against his future enemies. Minato's training allowed him to develop his own special techniques, many of which seem to resemble that of Kidō spells; due mostly to Satoshi Konishi offering his knowledge of Shinigami spells. Reitairyū (気身流, "Method of the Spirit Body"; literally "Spirit Body Way"): The first technique of Minato's own creation, developed after having finally understood the basic idea of his master's Tōkidachi, this is a step down from the aforementioned technique in that it is a manifestation of the user's fighting spirit using their as a medium rather than an outright projection of will. The product of doing such a thing is that he can now form "spirit arms" connected to his physical arms, extensions of his own body, as a means of reaching targets far outside his reach. These energy arms hands are clawed while the rest of the arm seems to lack any kind of joint, thus allowing them to have flexible movements that will generally be impossible for normal arms. Minato can create any number of arms that he desires and these arms can also serve other purposes such as grappling hooks, to either grab onto objects or enemies from great distances, to offensive means such as forming large fists to deal physical damage from a distance. In addition to this, Minato is also able to produce other spiritual limbs, such as forming energy legs for similar purposes. When using the Reitairyū, the spiritual energy used by the practitioner also encapsulates the user as an aura of spirit energy. This aura can act as an extension of their body. By utilizing the aura, the user can extend the range and force of their physical attacks. Strikes that seemingly or would normally miss will actually make contact with the target. One punch has been shown to have enough force to cripple and completely finish off an opponent. In addition, this aura allows a Seijin to do incredible feats which include leaping great distances, shattering normally "unbreakable" materials with their hands effortlessly, as well as lifting objects several times their size. At first, the arms would extend in regards to a particular amount of time. However, after two years, he is capable of launching "energy fists" at an opponent almost instantaneously. When Yoshitsune was able to effortlessly dodge Minato's attacks prior to the two year timeskip, afterwards he was able to beat the former down to the ground effortlessly before Yoshitsune could even react. He has also shown to have been able to punch down a Gillian-class Menos before the latter could finish forming a Cero, subsequently defeating the Hollow and causing it to fade away. The strength of the hands themselves at the ends of the energy arms are strong enough to block metal blades, such as Zanpakutō.Bleach story; Quickening of a New Power! Put to the Test! *'Wanashō' (罠健祥, "Energy Trapper"): After forming his "spirit arms", Wanashō is a technique that allows Minato to grab onto an incoming spiritual-based attack and absorb its power through the arms. Doing so causes the spirit arms's coloration and hue to reflect the nature of the attack it is absorbing. After this, Minato can release the attack by stating its name.Bleach story; Quickening of a New Power! Put to the Test! Doing so actually strengthens the attack he absorbed by a factor of three, due to mixing his own spirit energy with the absorbed energy. However, the original downside to the attack is that he may only absorb a single attack per time, but later trains himself to be capable of absorbing two different attacks before having to release the energy in order to use the Wanashō technique again. *'Multiple Limbs:' After training for two years, Minato is capable of forming several "spirit arms" from anywhere on his body, each possessing the same force as a single energy arm, as well as retaining the instantaneous speed that Minato trained to obtain. Shūreidan (集気弾, literally "Shot of a Focused Soul"): In order to deal with a myriad of opponents with complex and evermore challenging abilities, Minato has taken to further developing his master's Reihikari and creating a medley of variations that each serve a distinct purpose. With the help of the skills he obtained throughout his training under the Seijin coupled with constant self-practice drills, he managed to eventually understand that the original Reihikari was invented to serve as the utmost expression of the soul's strength in the most simplistic way possible, and thus, the basic technique is raw and unrefined, requiring a user to shape and craft it into a tool all their own. Due to the loose spiritual energy emitted from the raw Reihikari technique, a being such as a Quincy can easily absorb the reiryoku from the attack. In other cases, it is also because of Reihikari's own composition that makes it rather difficult to control when fired, as its path can't be manipulated and its speed is far too slow to allow for proper follow-ups. Therefore, Minato took it upon himself to develop a variation to the Reihikari that would eliminate these weaknesses. The Shūchūdan, unlike the Reihikari which is focused between one's palms and concentrated into a large sphere, is instead focused to a single point; in this case, Minato's index finger. It can then be fired as a projectile beam of spiritual power that is so compressed and dense that a Quincy cannot hope to absorb it, also taking into account that its speed nearly surpasses that of an Arrancar's Bala and rivaling the strength of a Cero. :*'Enhanced Shūreidan' :*'Ōshūha Shūreidan' (巨周波集気弾, "Great Wave Focused Soul Shot") :*'Tajū Shūreidan' (多重集気弾, literally "Multiple Focused Soul Shots")Bleach story; Quincy Soldiers March Reihi Hakōshō (魂火波動掌, "Soul Light Surge Palm") Zanpakutō For the manifested spirit of Son Gokū, see Son Gokū (spirit). Son Gokū (孫悟空 (そん ごくう), Sūn Wùkōng; Chinese and Japanese for "Grandchild Awakened to Emptiness"): Being the descendant of Sun Wukong, Minato carries a trace of the monkey king's blood within him. The loss of his Jinki Fragment power after his face-off against Mūkade caused a transformation to occur within his soul, due to the enormous spiritual power he harbored, allowing him to access his true powers as a Mazoku which had been previously blocked from arising. However, when this power first awoke, it was rough and unfocused, meaning that Minato could only utilize a fragment of the monkey king's power at great personal strain on his body. Because of his Shinigami heritage, he was able to instead channel this strength through the medium of a Zanpakutō forged personally for him by Raian Getsueikirite. In doing so, he was able to access the full might of the monkey king's power hidden deep within his soul without succumbing to the same consequences as before. Son Gokū is a Zanpakutō that exists as the personification of Sun Wukong's blood that flows within Minato, thus being a manifestation of the latter's Mazoku power. .]] Unlike any Zanpakutō ever forged in the Soul Society, Son Gokū was forged using an asauchi shaped as a pair of tekkō arm protectors. They were originally normal arm guards given to Minato as a genpuku from his mentor Seireitou; the same ones worn by the latter's own teacher, Shōyō. They are a dark red in coloration and wrapped around both of his forearms, being a notably comfortable fit as Minato has claimed. Despite being incredibly aged in appearance, even having what appears to be slight cracks achieved from past conflicts, they are remarkably durable; even withstanding being crushed by force. According to Seireitou, its defensive power depends solely on the strength of Minato's will; capable of fending off even the most aggressive assaults when his doubts have been diminished during battle. Minato has also demonstrated the ability to channel his spiritual power through them to further enhance their durability. Shikai .]] There appears to be no actual release command for Son Gokū, due to being such an unorthodox Zanpakutō, and can simply be willed into activation by Minato or by the Zanpakutō's inner spirit. Originally, because Minato had not attained the Mazoku power through the traditional means, therefore restricted by his innate human limitations, he was forced to enter a transformation state which allowed him to utilize the supernatural power without causing his soul to unintentionally become consumed by chaos. In doing so, the part of his soul in which his Mazoku power resided within was awoken in accordance with Minato's whim, manifesting on the outside of his soul and allowing him to assume an alternate form. After Son Gokū was forged and thus a medium now existed for Minato's Mazoku power, this new form became the Shikai state of the Zanpakutō itself; making it possible for Minato to access its true might. Upon willing forth his Shikai, his normally blue spiritual energy flares outwards and alters into a deep red color, taking on the form of intense flames that surround his person. His basic overall appearance is arguably uncharged, the hair slightly lifted upwards and now a dark red color which matches the same coloration as his irises. Additionally, Minato's muscle tone is notably more defined, most likely a result of the grand increase in strength. It seems that there does exist some degree of personality change, as Minato has demonstrated a far more serious demeanor in this form. However, with training, it seems he has learned to manage the form's great force and therefore maintain his own persona while transformed. Unlike before, where the state would come with enormous levels of strain on Minato, the Shikai reduces the stress by significant amounts, allowing Minato to continuously fight while in this form for up to several hours at any time. When he is exhausted or otherwise fatigued, it is not uncommon for Son Gokū to re-seal itself to save Minato's life, causing the latter to return to his normal base state. It appears that the release of this form greatly enhances all of Minato's attributes by a significant degree; to such a point that his power is remarked upon as being absolutely monstrous. With the greater concentration of reiatsu within him during the use of this transformation becomes, represented by how intense the flaming aura appears, the far stronger Minato seemingly becomes. The color seems to have changed from its normal blue to a menacing dark red. However, there seems to be no set limit to how strong he can become in this form, as the only restrictions appear to be his stamina and will. Minato's power erupted from its dormant sleep, allowing him to unleash it in all of its fury. It becomes great enough to cushion the blow from a full-powered Getsuga Tenshō, albeit he was rendered slight bruises. Although it was only a brief instance, the activation of this form caused Mūkade to quickly back away from instinctive fear of the form's power. It has also become noticeably thicker, being able to suffocate regular humans that are within his general vicinity. Minato's speed in this state increases greatly as well, to the point where he can cover long distances in a mere fraction of a second; outstripping most Lieutenants in matters of speed. He was able to keep up with the likes of Shinzai while the latter was releasing eighty percent of his power. When he has transformed, Minato's already impressive strength is greatly enhanced as well. His overall strength are great enough that he was able to fend off three Shinigami Captains with a single punch each; one of which shattered one of their Zanpakutō at the same time, which was in the Shikai state itself. His strength is also great enough to parry repeated attacks from Rikuo Kitamura; the feat done so with a single hand.Bleach story; Quincy Soldiers March "Golden Fire Gaze" (金睛火眼 (ゴールデン・ファイアー・ゲイズ), Jīnjīng Huǒyǎn; Chinese for "Golden-Gaze Fiery-Eyes"): The most noticeable aspect of this form is Minato's eyes, changing from their original color to a fiery red matching his hair, which make him appear as though he is unconscious. high-speed attacks.]] *'Enhanced Physical Senses:' His body develops immense sensitivity to hearing, feeling, seeing, and sensing, allowing Minato to effortlessly dodge attacks that would normally be impossible for him to even register, let alone evade. His martial arts also increase drastically due to this, allowing him to preform master-class techniques that would normally be considered either impossible or too difficult to use in succession. Ideally, it allows for Minato to dodge attacks at the last possible moment by the smallest possible margin. "Sky Dance Stepping" (藕絲步雲履 (スカイ・ダーンス・ステピング), Ǒusībùyúnlǚ; Chinese for "Cloud-Walking Boots") "Golden Lotus Stance" (鎖子黃金甲 (ゴールデン・ロータス・スタンス), Suǒzihuángjīnjiǎ; Chinese for "Golden Chainmail Armor") "Adorned Phoenix Feathers" (鳳翅紫金冠 (アドーンド・フィーニックス・フェザーズ), Fèngchìzǐjinguān; Chinese for "Phoenix-Feather Crown") Ascended State "Victorious Fighting Buddha" (鬥戰勝佛 (ビクトーリアス・ファイティング・ブダー), Dòuzhànshèngfú; Chinese for "Victorious Fighting Buddha"): Invoked during his second fight against of , Minato managed to further tap into the power of his Zanpakutō spirit and the very origin of his soul — the reincarnation of Sūn Wùkōng — which allowed him to achieve a heighten form of his Shikai abilities. According to Minato, despite being unable to connect with the inner spirit of Son Gokū, which is strange considering he was able to ascertain its name and call out its power, he was able to realize its true powers by instead peering deep within his own soul when he came near death. In his fight with Lang Kyun, who had entered his form, Minato was pushed beyond his limits and beaten down to an inch of his life, approaching death itself as he clung to his final thoughts; desperately trying to discover some way to survive this battle. But no answer came as his mind emptied and his body felt like it was vanishing little by little. While he doesn't understand exactly what happened, he felt as though his heart really did stop for a moment before it began pounding hard once more; with it, his body was surrounded in an intense light blue aura — a sharp contrast to his normal Shikai's color of crimson red — with his hair being pushed upwards slightly and tinted a noticeable teal blue; likewise, so too did his eyes change into the same coloration. According to , this was Minato channeling some portion of Sūn Wùkōng's power when he had attained buddhahood. The powers granted in this form are still not fully known, as Minato appears not to be able to control it perfectly and still lacks the understanding needed to fully wield it, but it was enough to completely dominate Lang Kyun's Vollständig state; leading many to liken this state to the strength of a . Furthermore, it appears to have a rather intense effect on his body as it becomes too strenuous to maintain the form for too long; as of now, he is only able to maintain it for roughly four and a half minutes in extended battle. Bankai Minato has yet to achieve the Bankai state for his Zanpakutō. One of the largest obstacles preventing him from doing so is that Son Gokū is an unorthodox Zanpakutō in that no communication has been established between the inner spirit and Minato himself; yet, the latter managed to learn the name of the Zanpakutō and released its power. What this exactly means remains unknown. Former Powers & Abilities Quotes * (To Raian Getsueikirite) "I'm not really going towards a particular goal... It's just that I've decided to face whatever comes at me, until I gain the power to protect the people that are important to me." * "If the master's duty is to shoulder the student's burdens, along with their pain... then what's the student's duty? To grow strong enough to shoulder the master's very pain." * "Wrong! The martial arts are not for those who seal away their own hearts. I... I've fought with a lot of people who only knew how to kill, while closing away their hearts... All of them had eyes full of sadness, as if they hated their own abilities. You can never truly master something if you hate it!" * (Remembering Seireitou's teachings) "Like the rocks within the rapids. Has the rock ever feared? Has the rock ever considered avoiding? The only thing the rock does... is let the water flow around it." * (To Ryōmaru Sagara) "I admit that I can fight even without consciousness... thanks to my master's day-and-night training. But this is totally different than your kind, who are willing to sacrifice one's own disciple in order to gain power! This power of mine... is the love from a master to their student. The fist of a strong heart!" * (Remembering Seireitou's teachings) "When you are truly burning with anger, calm your heart. When there is an opponent you must defeat, hide your emotions deep within yourself. Know the depths of your heart. If you fall into them, you could lose your life. In the continously unbroken stream of attacks and defenses, there are parts in one's defense that are not being consciously controlled. Those are the isolated strongholds known as the Korui. The blindspot." * (To Itachi Shimura) "I trained with the Seijin... with Seireitou-shishō and Saori-dono... I'm Kawahiru Dojang's first disciple, Minato Kuramoto. And I'm also... a Jinki Fragment. Mūkade will stop at nothing to get me and Nǚwā will make sure to crush me by any means necessary. I don't have a choice here... I must be ready. I refuse to let everybody down."Bleach story; Unexpected Preliminaries! * "Having this sort of power and using it only to hurt others with a closed heart... It's just senseless violence! There's nothing valuable about that at all!" * (To Suzaku Kawahiru) "Seireitou-shishō... taught me to uphold that which I consider important. If I remain standing still while someone I care for is in danger... then I might as well be dead. Because only someone that does not have a heart could stand idly by while allowing those transgressions to happen. And if one does not have a heart, it means that they are dead. Even if it kills me in the end... and it destroys my soul in the process... So long as I am alive, I must act. I have to move... and not just sit here, crying about what I could have done or what others could have done. That is... what it means to have a heart. And to be a martial artist."Bleach story; Fly to Flames * (To Satori Kurokami, after questioning the importance of protecting his friends) "It's not about logic! It's about what I believe! I'll protect them because I want to! I'll place my soul on the line!" * (To Satori Kurokami, regarding Team Kuramoto and Hinata Kusuhana) "The outcome of the battle is influenced, not only by the physical aspect, but also by the psychological aspect. Those five are fighting now to help me, but in the deepest corners of their hearts, they are fighting... because they are following their strongest feelings that come from the innermost regions of their soul. That's... how Master Seireitou would explain it. For justice, for personal belief, for one's way of living, for love, and for the future... Regardless of how powerful your comrades consider themselves to be, they are fighting to obtain nothing but selfish pleasure. And therefore it is absolutely impossible for them to defeat their opponents. These five... are without a doubt... my most trusted friends!" References Behind the Scenes According to the author, Minato's theme song is "Imagination" by SPYAIR.